Pyralid Moth

a Pyralidae moth from Rift Valley, Kenya, Oct. 2016. Photo © by Michael Plagens

Observed at an electric light. Lake Baringo, Kenya, October 2016. The wing span is about 12 mm.

In the larval stage many Pyralidae moths use silk to tie the leaf of a plant into a kind of shelter. This protects them from the elements and also perhaps insect eating birds. Close searching of foliage of native plants will reveal that these are extraordinarily common insects, but as adults they are rarely encountered except at electric lights. Some important species feed on grasses in the larval stage, hence the family common name. Many birds make a living by discovering and removing these insect larvae. By night they become prey for insectivorous bats.

Pyralidae -- Grass Moth Family

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Kenya Natural History

Copyright Michael J. Plagens. Page created 5 Jan. 2017